For many functions, especially transportation functions, it is desirable to have a business form with one or more decals or stickers associated therewith. For example, for governmental registration or permitting of vehicles it is highly desirable to have a single sheet of paper which has at least one license plate decal thereon, and preferably also an inspection sticker and/or second license plate decal. It is also desirable to provide registration information on the same sheet, and to provide a sheet that is laser printable so that the variable indicia (such as vehicle registration number, owner name and address, etc.) can be variably imaged (preferably simplex printed by the entity applying the variable imaging) on a form in a simple and effective manner using a conventional laser printer.
One problem with producing registration sheets with decals and/or stickers thereon is that when the decals and stickers are applied to the sheet off line, the sheets often are crooked. That is, when fed through a laser printer the feeding is erratic and causes significantly frequent jamming and/or print problems. Therefore, there is a significant need for a lay-flat laser printable sheet with at least one decal or sticker, and preferably a plurality of decals and/or stickers, that may be constructively used with conventional laser printers, particularly for vehicular registration and permitting purposes.
According to the present invention a method of making substantially lay-flat flat laser printable sheets, and the sheets so produced, are provided which include at least one decal or sticker, and preferably a plurality of decals and/or stickers. While the invention is particularly described herein with respect to vehicle registration and permitting functions, it is to be understood that the method and products according to the invention may also have other uses. The sheets of the invention may be simplex printed with variable information by conventional office printers.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a substantially lay-flat laser printable sheet with at least one decal or sticker using a substrate having at least a laser printable face, and a back surface, comprising: a) Adhesive-release material spot coating the substrate back surface, including providing a substantially continuous first adhesive-release material patch. b) Imaging the back surface with first static indicia. c) Applying a substantially transparent plastic and pressure sensitive adhesive laminate over at least a significant part of the back surface, including over the spot coating and first static indicia. d) Die cutting the face at the first patch, substantially within the perimeter of the first patch to form a first die cut portion. e) Removing the first die cut portion from the substrate to provide an open area with exposed transparent plastic and pressure sensitive adhesive. And f) providing a piggyback decal on the open area.
Typically in the practice of the method the substrate is web, and the method further comprises: g), after e) and before f), providing marginal holes in the web, h) winding up the web, and i) unwinding the web. The method may still further comprise after f), j) slitting the marginal holes off the web, and k) forming the web into substantially lay-flat laser printable sheets. Typically, c) is practiced to apply the laminate over substantially the entire back surface of the substrate which will become the sheets from k), and typically e) is practiced by sucking off the die cut portion, and is f) practiced by blowing on a reflective visible surface piggyback decal. The method may further comprise l) variably imaging the face of the sheets from k) using a laser printer, and typically b) and l) are practiced to image vehicular registration or permitting indicia on the substrate.
Also, in the practice of the method, c) may be further practiced to apply a laminate transparent plastic that is matte and pen write-able, and having a thickness of about 0.5-2 mils, e.g. about 1 mil.
Also, a) may be further practiced to form a second patch defining a border but substantially devoid of adhesive-release material within the border and d) is practiced to provide a second face die cut at the second patch. For example, where the substrate is a web the method further comprises after f), forming the web into substantially lay-flat laser printable sheets; and typically a)-f) are further practiced to provide the second patch with vehicular registration or permitting indicia thereon and capable of functioning as a vehicle inspection sticker. Also, the method may further comprise g) forming a third die cut in the back surface which penetrates through the laminate to the substrate, an area defined by the third die cut being larger than an area defined by the second die cut, and substantially concentric therewith, and being substantially coextensive with lines of weakness (e.g. perforations) formed in the substrate.
The method may still further comprise static printing a substrate face prior to f), and a) is practiced using UV silicone adhesive release material; and further comprising curing the silicone release material prior to b)-f). Also, a) may be practiced using bond paper as the substrate, and f) is practiced to produce laser printable sheets having either letter size, A4, or legal size dimensions.
In the practice of the method a)-f) may be practiced substantially sequentially, although a number of other variations of the various method procedures may be performed in a wide variety of manners, just so that the end results that are desired (namely lay-flat laser printable sheets) are provided.
The invention also relates substantially to lay-flat laser printable sheets produced by the method as set forth above.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a substantially lay-flat laser printable sheet comprising: A substrate having a back surface, and a laser printable face. A substantially transparent plastic and pressure sensitive adhesive laminate on the back surface. A first die cut in the face to the laminate defining an open area. A piggyback decal in the open area having a reflective visible surface and vehicular registration or permitting indicia thereon. First static indicia on the back surface under the laminate and second static indicia on the face. The first and second static indicia comprising vehicular registration or permitting indicia.
The sheet may further comprise variable vehicular registration or permitting indicia on the face, and typically the sheet is letter, A4, or legal size, preferably letter size. Also, the substrate is typically bond paper (such as 100# bond C1S paper), and the laminate typically includes matte and pin write-able plastic having a thickness of about 0.5-2 mils (e.g. about 1 mil). The sheet may also further comprise a second die cut in the face defining a sticker, the sticker having vehicular registration or permitting indicia on the face and back surface thereof. Also, the sheet may further comprise a third die cut in the back surface extending through the laminate to the substrate and defining an area greater than an area defined by the second die cut, and perforations in the substrate substantially coextensive with the third die cut and/or the sheet may further comprise another die cut in the face to the laminate defining the second open area, and a second piggyback decal in the second open area and having a reflective visible surface and vehicular registration or permanent indicia thereon, such as that associated with a typical license plate decal.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a substantially lay-flat laser printable sheet comprising: A bond paper substrate having a back surface, and a laser printable face. A substantially transparent plastic and pressure sensitive adhesive laminate on the back surface, the laminate include matte and pen writeable plastic having a thickness of about 0.5-2 mils. A first die cut in the face to the laminate defining an open area. A piggyback decal in the open area. And first static indicia on the back surface under the laminate. The sheet may further comprise a second die cut in the face defining a sticker, for example, an inspection sticker having conventional indicia associated therewith for a vehicle, such as a state inspection sticker adhered inside a window of an automobile.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a lay-flat laser printable sheet with at least one decal or sticker, and which is suitable for use for vehicle permitting or registration purposes. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.